Thanks for the quick replies!
Wellā¦ for about four years now on and off, I have had minor tingling in my leg, after seeing a chiropractor almost each time the pain went away almost instantly, soā¦ I didnāt figure it was anything to be worried about. This past August however, after a night out the next morning I couldnāt get out of bed, it was so incredibly painful to walk it was unbelivable, I was hunched over with each step taking about 10 seconds and the pain was just aweful. After about a week and a visit to the chiropractor the pain subsided and I didntā think much of it, though in the back of my mind I was thinking, MRI, MRI. But didnāt. It happend again in October and I said thatās it, I went to a doctor and got an MRI. It appears I have a bulging disk beween L5/S1, with degeneration in L4/L5 also. Of course this it the worst place. The MRI basically showed a bulge that was pressing up agaist the nerve and what they call a black hole in L5, all the fluid is basically gone, or as they say disk degeneration.
So, my options, as theyāve said in November to me is rehab or surgery. I am not too excited about having surgery, know other people who have said it only leads to more surgeries and more problems and to do rehab until it kills me.
So, I started doing rehab in December, not nearly enough as I should have been doing it, and now I am doing it about 3 times a week, however, for the last month after giving the cat a bath, I must have twisted wrong or something, well I ended up having that aweful pain again which limits walking, getting up, bending, sitting and pretty much everything else.
The most recent trip to the bone moving doc put my leg and lower back in a great deal of pain, that was a few days ago and I am still sore from it, I canāt tell anymore if I am numb or just painful, which isnāt good.
I want to know where you went for rehab or if you went at all, and who your chiropractor is? I donāt trust the little clinics as they litterally disable people sometimes.
I am using a TENS unit, though I think I need someone to show me where to put the dang stickers so I get the most benefits.
I can tolerate the pain to a certain point, but my worries are the numbness, I do not want to lose sensation in my leg forever, and of course their is the possibility of having to wear the ol diaper if it gets too serious and starts causing bladder and bowl issues.
Somethings I am doing or considering are below:
Glucosamine - been told no evidence but a lot of people use it.
MSM - same
Hyaluronic Acid - said it can help the pain, but not sure.
Magnesium and Calcium - been told this could worsen the problem and cause bone spurs.
Acupuncture Treatment - been around a long time but need someone who is really trained, not just a clinic.
At this point, now itās been about 6-7 months of this crap, the pain comes and goes, but each time the crippling pain comes it lasts just a bit longer each timeā¦
JD, who made you scream?
Are their any good rehab centers here? The one I am going toā¦ itās justā¦ wellā¦ a bit old and the pelvic traction machine kinda makes me painful sometimes. I do not think the equipment there is enough to help my problem. They only do TENS, pelvic traction and some heat theapy. I have been told to use one of those swiss balls and other stretches. I do some at home, but not enough. I am not currently taking any medications other than an advil now and again when it gets unbearable.
Any suggestions of where to go other things to do would be very much apprecaited!